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The Bauhaus
1919 - 1933
The Bauhaus was a revolutionary, practising school of art, architecture and design founded by Walter Gropius in Germany in 1919. Architecture, performing arts, design and applied arts were given as much weight as fine art. Every student had to do a 1 year basic course called 'Vorkurs'.
Main characteristics of Bauhaus -
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Harsh Lines
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Simple Colours
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Geometric Shapes: square, triangle, circle
Principles/Ideals -
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Form follows function: integrity in every object
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Minimalism: reduced materials and keep design functional
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Integrate Technology: production
Bauhaus Building
Images source - https://ryanbonnici.blogspot.com/2014/01/walter-gropius-bauhaus-task-2.html
[accessed 29 January 2023]
Diagram showing the structure of teaching
Images source - https://bauhaus.de/en/das_bauhaus/45_unterricht
[accessed 29 January 2023]
Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) was a Swiss German artist. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually deeply explored colour theory, writing about it extensively.
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) is generally credited as one of the pioneers of abstraction in western art. He embraced what he saw as the spiritual qualities of colour and form.
Yellow-Red-Blue, 1925, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris
Images source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily-Kandinsky#Back_in_Germany_and_the_Buahaus_(1922-1933)
[accessed 29 January 2023]
Lazlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer. He was highly influenced by constructivism and was a pioneer of using scientific equipment in the making of art. He experimented with the photogram.
Oskar Schlemmer (1888-1943) His most famous work, 1922’s, The Triadic Ballet, Schlemmer transformed his dancers in kinetic sculptures by costuming them in geometric shapes made from metal, cardboard and wood.
Named, “Triadic” to reflect the three acts, three dancers, and three colours (one for each act).
The costumes, based on cylinder, sphere, cone, and spiral shapes—were revolutionary.
Oscar Schlemmer, Figurines of the Triadic Ballet, 1922
Images source - https://pinterest.de/pin/426082814758828144/
[accessed 29 January 2023]
Josef Albers (1888 - 1976) was a German-born artist. His colour research is fascinating, especially his book 'Interaction of Color', 1963.
Josef Albers, colour studies & Abstract Lithographs (from left to right) , Interaction of Color
Images source -
https://pinterest.de/pin/355010383141922874/
https://pinterest.de/pin/54768004695066036/
https://pinterest.jp/pin/298222806584155604/
[accessed 30 January 2023]
Women in The Bauhaus
In its inaugural year, more female students applied than male students. Initially, most female students specialized in more domestic , or "feminine" disciplines, like weaving or ceramics.
Anni Albers (1899 - 1994) From a young age, she was interested in the visual arts. It was at the Bauhaus that she met the artist Josef Albers, who she married in 1925.
Marianne Brandt (1893 - 1983) Her industrial designs for household objects have been recognized as iconic expressions of the Bauhaus aesthetic.
Marianne Brandt, Three-piece tea service
Image source - https;//www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2015/important-design-n09445/lot.61.html
[accessed 10 February 2023]
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 - 1969) was considered the top architect in Germany when he was approached by Gropius to take over as school director that same year.
End of the Bauhaus
The school closed in 1933 due to Germany's ever-encroaching National Socialist Party. As a result, Mies van der Rohe, Gropius, the Albers and many others within the Bauhaus school relocated to the United States, where their influence spread and has continued to be referenced in 20th-century art and design.
Alan Fletcher (1931 - 2006)
A commission to design a poster for the annual designer's Saturday. He was given an open brief and decided to try out Kandinsky's theory, relating to specific colours being assigned a specific form. He selected the three most basic shapes along with the 3 primary colours, placing them on a neutral grey background. The addition of pencilled lines converted the elements to a lively party scene with the suggestions of a balloon and wine glass.
Alan Fletcher, Designer's Saturday, London, 9.x.82, 1982
Image source - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/647673990174985093/
[accessed 11 February 2023]
References -
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https://history.com/topics.art-history/bauhaus [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://bauhaus.de/en/das_bauhaus/45_unterricht/ [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://historiadesigneteoria.blogspot.com/2013/03/bauhaus-mostly-teachers.html [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://pinterest.de/pin/567312884294476459 [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://bauhauskooperation.com/knowledge/the-Bauhaus/people/biography/624 [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://moma.org/artists/3130 [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://en.wikipedia.ora/wiki/László Moholy-Nagy [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://en.wikipedia.ora/wiki/Oskar-Schlemmer [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://brittanica.com/biography/Oskar-Schlemmer#ref1221553 [accessed 30 January 2023]
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https://en.wikipedia.ora/wiki/WassilyKadinsky#Back_in_Germany_and_the_Bauhaus_(1922-1933) [accessed 29 January 2023]
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https://moma.org/artists/josef-albers-636 [accessed 30 January 2023]
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https://en.wikipedia.ora/wiki/Josef_Albers [accessed 30 January 2023]
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https://en.wikipedia.ora/wiki/Women-of-the-Bauhaus#Brief-history-of-the-Bauhaus [accessed 30 January 2023]
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Beware Wet Paint, Fletcher Alan, Phaidon Press Publication, 1996
